Music Review: 5to4 – ‘Tip It’ EP

Tip It, released earlier this month, is 5to4’s new three-track EP and follow-up to 2006’s Dream Diary. The United Kingdom-based songwriter and electronic artist is said to be based on carefully crafted songwriting and combines styles ranging from indie to progressive to electronica. It is meant to explore the mysteries of life, with Phil Goss taking care of instruments and vocals.

The title cut jumps straight into a high tempo, keyboard-led beat, with touches of sounds like cowbell and what could be a small 8-bit handheld game console. The contrast between the sharp beat and the vocals bordering on smooth provides for an interesting listen. Because the beat—a little reminiscent of 1980s pop music—is relentless, it can become a little bit stressful over the five-and-a-half-minute course of the song.

“It’s Not That It’s Not” slows things down by quite a few notches. There is something melancholic about the piano-led beat and the gentle vocals. While it remains overall the same throughout, the auditory texture of the track does change a couple of times during its run. The first time is through the addition of a couple of new instruments and the second time through a transformation from mellowness to 1980s pop.

The EP finishes off with the instrumental “Walk”. A dissonant beginning featuring an out of sync keyboard and drum moves into a now familiar ’80s electronic pop feel which a delicate flute intermittently pierces through. The last third of the tune is built on a plucked string instrument supported sporadically by the keyboard.

There is a lot in this EP that points toward a potential, ear-catching career in music for Goss once the rougher edges have been smoothed and collaborators consulted with. 5to4’s music can be streamed on SoundCloud.